beauty & booty

judy

Happy May 1st!!! I cannot believe we are already five months into this year. The first of May is always significant for me. You see, my birthday is on April 29th and I always set goals for myself for *my* new year. Since, April 30th is typically a recovery day, my fresh start always begins on May 1st. So far, 2014 has turned out to be fantastic. I got married on 2-8 and think that’s pretty cool, since I just turned 28. In addition, there was a Solar Eclipse / New Moon in Taurus that fell on my birthday. You know I love my numbers and my new age !! I have been looking forward to this cosmic shift and have been excited for some new things to pop off.

I already started my day with a Hot Vinyasa class. My girlfriends and I are doing a yoga challenge which consists of practicing 21 hot yoga classes in 31 days. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I picked up hot yoga when I began my fitness journey last year to prepare for my wedding. I’m not ashamed to say that I was a bride with a serious mission to look damn good in my wedding gown. I set fitness goals for myself and achieved them. The wedding is over and done with but I am dedicated to staying fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So what if my vanity pushed me to becoming a healthier person, mentally and physically. /endminirant Also, a yoga challenge is going to be the perfect way to head into the Summer!

New Moon Yoga goal: to do a headstand

My BFF and skin care guru, Lauren came from the Pacific Northwest to visit last week. I’m so thankful that she has the knowledge to tell me how to protect my skin from aging! Everyone needs a skincare personal shopper, PS. I knew that I was a geezer when I got so excited about all of the anti-aging products that she gifted me !

My parents were so kind to gift me a Bath & Body Works basket full of goodies from their Hawaii line. There were years when I got a boujie lotion/body spray set for every freakin’ occasion. I haven’t gotten one in awhile and I was excited to re-up on lotion/body spray/hand sanitizer. Sometimes it’s necessary to smell like a coconut sunset.

4 years ago, my two friends Adam, Noel & I created this blog. I still can’t remember why we chose Luscious Judy. We wrote about all the things that we liked, sexy men, cool fashion, cats, but mostly sexy men. We had a good run, but we fell off pretty hard. I was itching to get back into the blogosphere and didn’t want to come up with yet another URL. It sounds lazy, but do you know how hard it is to come up with a cool blog name? Redirecting the focus of this blog was the best idea that I had. ANNNNDD here we are! Luscious Judy is now dedicated to BEAUTY & BOOTY.

I have been a makeup addict for as long as I can remember. At 15, I found my first MAC counter while on a family vacation. You can’t show a pizza face teenager Studio Fix Powder Foundation and expect her not to fall in love with a full-coverage look. Ever since, then it has been ON. You name a beauty trend (or faux), I’ve tried it. I’ve bought it. I’ve pimped it out. I’ve hated it. Blue eyeshadow + Pink lips, Dream Matte Mousse obsession, SO MUCH BLUSH and not enough eyebrow.

I just found a picture of myself in 2006, when I was spending student loan money on Chanel compacts. Clearly, I had not discovered my correct foundation shade then, do you see the white face to tan body ratio? Oh, how I am so glad that I have evolved into Laguna-loving bronzer freak. I might not be a makeup professional, but I have a deep love for the beauty industry. I am truly fascinated by makeup and definitely view its application as an art form and not just a daily routine. There is always going to be something for me to play with and write about and that’s fun! Hope you enjoy the route Luscious Judy is taking!

My family gives me light roast coffee for Christmas EVERY year. I’m sad they don’t know that I like my coffee beans bold and essentially burnt, but who am I to complain about Christmas presents?

I was on my last half cup of the last bag of coffee when I ran out of coffee creamer. My breaking point. I would rather drink tea than drink this coffee black. I’m a coffee snob, so what. We all have our *things*. Instead of throwing it in my compost pile, I decided to make a cellulite body scrub! I based this decision off of the main ingredient in my boujie cellulite lotion, Caffeine. It is believed that caffeine can reduce swelling around fat and constrict blood vessels for a tighter appearance.

I found a recipe for a coffee body scrub on the Free People blog and of course, I modified it. I used eucalyptus epsom salt, instead of coconut palm sugar because a) that ish is expensive and b) epsom salt is great for flushing out toxins!

1/2 cup coffee grounds + 1/2 cup epsom salt + 1/4 cup coconut oil.

This coffee body scrub is perfect for March. The mixture of coffee grounds & epsom salt exfoliate and remove dead skin cells. My skin was super slick after using this scrub, but it was because my dry reptile skin really absorbed the coconut oil. I felt so smooth and buttery. Keep this mixture in an air-tight container and it will last up to a year. (Although, let’s be real, it’ll be gone by the Summertime.)

May I suggest doing this scrub 1 or 2 times a week? (May I also suggest investing in a drain catcher for this scrub? You don’t want to clog your tub, even in the name of beauty!) Enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of luscious posts! I have been preparing to travel for my upcoming wedding!

Actually, as I type this I am sitting on a plane to Miami. My wedding dress is my carry-on, so all of my makeup is in a checked bag. Ok, that’s a lie, I have a few essential items tucked away. (concealer, mascara, eyebrow brush, teeth whitener, & Baby Lips) This got me thinking about the time that I de-friended a girl on Facebook for saying that putting makeup on in public was unacceptable. I disagree. What do you think?

You won’t catch me contouring at Starbucks, but in the privacy of my seat 6B, I am definitely going to apply makeup. My cue to start is when the pilot says we are descending. I like to look as fresh as possible when I arrive to my destination. If I had put makeup on at 6:15am when I left my house, I would be doing my face an injustice. How do planes make your face dry and oily at the same time? And if I fall asleep in my neck pillow, my eyeliner could be ruined!

I don’t think putting makeup on an airplane makes me tacky or vain, I think it means I am using my time wisely! Plus, I’m positive nobody on the plane is worried about what I’m doing. 🙂

i opened this week’s People and stopped on this picture of britney lookin sexy mama status. her legs are on my radar. keep it up britney. i love you being a mama right now. take some time(s) and give me jams in 2011.

i can’t believe it’s been nine years since she has passed! i still remember the day it happened, ironically i had just stepped off of a plane and heard the terrible news. she’s still the most beautiful woman that has existed in r&b (in this judy’s opinion) her music always brings me back to some really great memories. i honestly do think her music is timeless. she is forever missed.

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love aaliyah… i remember waking up to the news on saturday morning while getting ready to go to subway and be an artist. the “making the video: rock the boat” should be on DVD. ultimate summer jam… best CGI water since waterfalls

happy birthday richard simmons! can’t believe this girlfriend is 62 years old! many childhood mornings were spent watching my mother sweat to the oldies! it definitely helped her out a lot and i know his videos have helped so many other people as well. i love everything about him (he also loves andy c.) and hope he has a bangin’ day!